Rolling 2011 thread where I buy and listen to jazz albums for the first time ever

'porgy & bess' is amazing. 'prayer (oh doctor jesus)' is one of my favorite things miles ever recorded

miles ahead was def the lesser of the 3 but i cant imagine them doing 'nothing' for someone o_O

one of my favorite things ever is the brief little "here comes de honey man" from porgy and bess. must've listened to it hundreds of times.

thats not really 'big band' tho, its all orchestrated

― *kl0p* (deej), Monday, January 31, 2011 2:08 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark

so orchestration doesn't equal big band? could you explain this a little more for a n00b like me? serious question.

big band implies the tradition of the dance bands & swing bands created by paul whiteman & his band, its the template duke ellington ran with & that defined popular music for p much 2 decades

but people are defining it much more loosely on this thread

gil's orchestration was much closer to contemporary classical music

but people are defining it much more loosely on this thread

― sarahel, Monday, January 31, 2011 4:16 PM (21 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

what bands did i not cover in that description, aside from gil's

'charlie parker with strings'?

Mingus Ah Um might be the best way in, perfect mix of big band style arrangements in a smaller ensemble setting

or turn up 'Sing, Sing, Sing' really loud

ok that makes sense (xp about Gil Evans)

no, i think people are also using the term "big band" to refer to large ensemble recordings from the 60s and 70s that aren't "big band" - just bands that are big

to whom are you referring

phil posted:
I'm gonna speak in ilxor's defense here - I don't like big bands either. All those dudes blowing in unison remind me of chained-up oarsmen on a slave ship in some old movie. No thanks.

UH

i mean which bands. im sure there are, like, one or two others, maybe some 3rd stream ish, but im pretty sure that 'big bands' from that era, to the extent that they did exist any more, were in the big band tradition im talking about itt

anyway, I just want to post again about how awesome Ayler's New Grass is -- one of these tracks is reminiscent of the Benny Hill theme

deej - bands from other eras, that have lots of musicians in them!!!

can u name one

bands from other eras that are large that don't sound like Big Band? Dude, there are tons -- I mean, Anthony Braxton and Bill Dixon to thread.

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society?

brass bands

brass bands

― ex-heroin addict tricycle (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, January 31, 2011 4:25 PM (0 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

typically dont have more than 8-9 ppl iirc

Guillermo Klein y los Gauchos?

But these are all good big bands. I wanna know which are the bad ones so I can steer clear of them.

~sigh~ like i said i think there are a couple exceptions like gil evans but generally when someone says 'big bands' they are talking about the dominant tradition of 'big bands' in jazz which refers pretty much to your typical jazz band structure

I like Darcy James Argue's Secret Society a whole lot, because they reject a lot of the cliches of the style. The first two questions and answers from this interview will explain my position (and his take on it) more clearly than I've done in this thread. And Argue's album Infernal Machines is a must-hear.

i like late 20th century large ensemble jazz, and I also like big band stuff -- it reminds me of my grandfather and his stories about growing up during the depression in Chicago.

Jazz Composer's Orchestra, Gunther Schuller's big band stuff, Muhal Richard Abrams stuff. And you guys call us faux-naive.

8-9 people is a large group when it comes to jazz -- like, compared to a traditional combo with 3 or 4.

Is this about ilxor not liking "big band" big bands? ILXOR, LISTEN TO BIG BANDS. STOP BEING A SNOB.

Weasel Walter recently put out a CD of his large ensemble stuff -- does not sound like big band.

typically dont have more than 8-9 ppl iirc

even if this is true (and I'm not sure it is?), it's more than what ilxor/unperson (can't remember) which specified as preferable (5-6)

~sigh~ like i said i think there are a couple exceptions like gil evans but generally when someone says 'big bands' they are talking about the dominant tradition of 'big bands' in jazz which refers pretty much to your typical jazz band structure

no one's arguing this, but unperson expanded his dislike to include basically jazz bands that are bigger than 5 or 6 people.

Is this about ilxor not liking "big band" big bands? ILXOR, LISTEN TO BIG BANDS. STOP BEING A SNOB.

Yes, DJA has a whole thing about steering clear of certain compositional cop outs that beleaguer big bands. What about the um, Mingus Big Band, Phil?

which is Phil's right, I guess. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. The only problem comes when he's saying something is good or bad in a category of something he categorically dislikes. Well, there's also a problem if an editor asks him to review something like that, but, that's another topic.

New Grass is great. Ayler doing Quincy Jones tv soundtrack type songs in a free fashion. I wish there were fifty more records like it.

New Grass is great. Ayler doing Quincy Jones tv soundtrack type songs in a free fashion. I wish there were fifty more records like it.

YES!!!!

Is this about ilxor not liking "big band" big bands? ILXOR, LISTEN TO BIG BANDS. STOP BEING A SNOB.

I will listen to everything! Just wanted to disclose up-front that, just like I have aesthetic leanings into certain types of jazz due to my non-jazz music interests, I've not enjoyed the big band stuff I've heard so far -- this may change, though.

it's more than what ilxor/unperson (can't remember) which specified as preferable (5-6)

This wasn't me.

I don't tend to like any jazz group with more than seven or at most eight musicians, and I prefer five or six, max.

^^^this is what got everybody to address bands apart from the classic "big band" archetype

xp I would make you a list but you have like 1,000 hours of listening ahead of you already.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NQ7TICCD-6U/Rw0sRr13uZI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/GjNrJ8FMEow/s400/Ben-Hur+sea.jpg
the original big band

General suggestion for ilxor given the volume of stuff here -- don't waste too much time yet on stuff that doesn't really grab you. Your tastes can get pushed really far just by naturally exploring what you like and branching out from it. No need to force things down your throat.

Another thing about a big band, it's pretty exciting to actually go to the show and hear all those horns moving air and then hear it all drop down for the solos and then roar back at the end.

In a way, it is similar to, at the opposite end of the volume spectrum, finding small group or solo jazz guitar being boring, too soft and silent as compared to rock guitar, and then going to the gig and being drawn in by relative quietness instead of being put off by it.

But anyway, Hurting otm.

Another thing about a big band, it's pretty exciting to actually go to the show and hear all those horns moving air and then hear it all drop down for the solos and then roar back at the end.

Yeah!! ilxor - why don't you go and see live jazz shows?

This is such a fantastic thread. Long time lurker, but first time poster here. Was moved to finally contribute b/c I seem to be going through almost the exact same thing ilxor is (ie, a sudden jazz kick/immersion). It's been fantastically fun and I appreciate all of the knowledge shared here.

Before a couple of weeks ago, my knowledge was more or less limited to Kind of Blue/A Love Supreme. In A Silent Way has been a favorite too. (Matter of fact, my copy of the Complete Sessions just arrived today. Can't wait to go deep into this one.)

Picked up a whole bunch of used titles over the weekend and have been enjoying myself. Gave Albert Ayler's "Love Cry" a first spin earlier today and must say it's possibly the most "out there" thing I've just about ever heard. Interesting. Not sure how much I'll be going back to it though. Is all of Ayler's stuff so challenging? It made my first listen to Coltrane's "Sun Ship" seem downright breezy by comparison.

NP: Coltrane's Sound

Apparently this big band performance set some kind of attendance record: http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php/ood-2010-harlow-sanabria.

Love Cry is ok, but Witches and Devils is a better record imo.

Yeah!! ilxor - why don't you go and see live jazz shows?

Because I barely know a thing about jazz! I'm just now hearing the "classics" of the genre for the first time; how would I know what is worth my time in contemporary jazz? (Obviously I could go see local/house bands, or just go see stuff at random, but...)